Dispute over high-profile prisoners delays Gaza ceasefire

Shafaq News/ Despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, Israeli officials revealed, on Thursday, that negotiations with Hamas are still ongoing.

The officials stated that “discussions continue over the release of several high-profile prisoners whom Hamas demands be freed, but Israel opposes,” according to Axios.

US officials stated that President Joe Biden’s envoys, President-elect Donald Trump, and Qatari and Egyptian mediators are working in Doha to resolve the final disagreement regarding the Gaza deal.

On Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani announced the success of joint mediation efforts led by the US, Qatar, and Egypt in reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange.

The Qatari Prime Minister confirmed that “the agreement includes a permanent and sustainable ceasefire between the two sides, along with the delivery of significant amounts of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

The ceasefire agreement is set to take effect on Jan. 19, with the exact start time to be determined later. The PM indicated that both parties would work tonight to finalize all executive procedures.

The first phase of the 42-day agreement will include a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces eastward and away from densely populated areas to the borders in all Gaza Strip regions.

The agreement also includes a specific mechanism for the exchange of prisoners and hostages, the return of remains of the deceased, the return of displaced persons to their homes, and facilitating the departure of the sick and wounded for treatment.

The first phase will involve intensifying the delivery of humanitarian aid and its safe and effective distribution across Gaza, the rehabilitation of hospitals, health centers, bakeries, the delivery of civil defense supplies, fuel, and shelter necessities for those who lost their homes due to the war.

Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in the first phase, including civilian women, soldiers, children, elderly, sick, and wounded civilians, in exchange for several Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centers.

Details of the second and third phases will be agreed upon during the implementation of the first phase.